This is a compilation of handy resources for new local trail runners. It's constantly being updated as I learn more myself.

Who is zoot?

I'm Kim aka Zoot - a derivative of a childhood nickname. This is my web site where I've been blabbering non-stop since 2004. I like to talk about running, parenting, bullet journals, food, and geeky treasures I find on the internet!

Feel free to browse around, leave comments, or just run away screaming. It won't be the first time.

Other Places I Write

Normalizing Mental Health Care

Yesterday I had a reasonable calorie consumption, drank no alcohol,and went for a run. This is the first time I’ve done all of those things in ONE day in…

too long.

It helped that the day was packed. I had a lot to do at work which kept me from thinking about eating, I had activities packed after work where I was squeezing in a run in my only “available” space, and I was out late and everyone was in bed when I got home. So, the temptation to have that “nightcap” was minimal. Also, I have cut my alcohol consumption quite a bit in the last few weeks, so maybe the urge to have that “beer before bed” is fading now that it’s not as much of a habit anymore.

Yesterday was a good day.

But NOT because of all of that!

If you suffer from depression, especially if you tend to gain weight with depression, you know how frustrating it is to hear people talk about how “diet and exercise help mental health” because it is IMPOSSIBLE to eat right if you’re depressed if you’ve ALWAYS EATEN SHITTY when you’re depressed. And also? If you don’t have the energy to even call you best friend, why would you have the energy to run?

So I’m not saying Yesterday was a good day because I ate right and exercised!

No. It was a good day because I kept my bullet journal open all day with ONE WHOLE PAGE dedicated to the day and my daily mantra and my health tracker and my To-Do list keeping me focused the whole day. Previously, each day just had a small piece of the larger week. Below is a photo with the top showing how much space ONE WHOLE DAY got last week and the bottom showing that EACH DAY gets space this week.

Practically speaking, this is a waste of space because I don’t have enough going on in one day to allow a whole page, but if I’m food tracking and writing mantras and doodling then I need a whole page and I found it VERY COMFORTING yesterday, especially because I’ve been practicing hand-lettering and nice hand writing and so even writing a task is becoming meditative.

It’s silly, I know, and I’m not trying to say, “Giving a day a page on my bullet journal solved all of my mental health problems!”

But yesterday? It helped. It got me through without falling too deep in the gray zone and by helping me stay focused on things I needed to do.